Shooting rest including an inclined rail assembly

ABSTRACT

A shooting rest includes a pod arrangement and a rail assembly. The pod arrangement can be a monopod, bipod or tripod. The rail assembly is connected to the pod arrangement. The rail assembly includes a rail, a shuttle and a rest. The rail has an end which is connected to the pod arrangement. The shuttle is slidably mounted to the rail and includes a latch for selectively securing the shuttle at a desired location along a length of the rail. The rest is connected to the shuttle.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a non-provisional application based upon U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/715,151, entitled “RAMP ADJUSTABLE SHOOTING AID”, filed on Oct. 17, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to firearms, and, more particularly, to shooting rests for such firearms.

2. Description of the Related Art

Firearms can generally be divided into two types of weapons: long guns and hand guns. A hand gun is short weapon which is simply held in one or both hand, and usually shot in the offhand (standing) position. A long gun is a longer weapon which includes a butt stock which is placed against the shoulder of the shooter, and a forestock which is held by the off hand of the shooter. In other words, if a shooter is a right handed shooter, then the left hand grasps the forestock, and the butt stock is placed against the right shoulder of the shooter.

Long guns can generally be divided into two types: rifles and shotguns. A shotgun shoots a shell which contains a number of smaller projectiles, known as shot. The shot spreads into a pattern of predetermined density, depending on the distance to the target. A shotgun is usually shot from the offhand position. A rifle shoots a single larger projectile over a much further distance, and as a result, it is common to use a rest to support the rifle during shooting and thereby improve the accuracy of the rifle.

When shooting a rifle, common shooting positions include the offhand position, the kneeling position, the prone (laying down) position, and the sitting (bench) position. A rest can be used with any of these shooting positions. For the offhand position, it is known to use a monopod, which is a single stick with a cradle or the like at the top of the monopod. It is also known to use “shooting sticks”, which are basically a pair of sticks which are hinged together at the top end and form a large bipod arrangement when placed in the shooting position. It is also known to attach a monopod, bipod or tripod arrangement to the front end of the gun to act as a shooting rest. The rest is typically attached to the forestock rather than directly to the barrel, as attachment to the barrel can affect the accuracy of the gun. Other types of shooting rests include sand bags and other type of cradle arrangements, such as a so-called sled arrangement. The sled arrangement is probably the most accurate in terms of steadily holding the gun during shooting, but is also large, heavy and impractical for actual deployment scenarios, such as hunting, police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) scenarios, and military scenarios.

What is needed in the art is a shooting rest which is easy to use, lightweight and compact, and still allows the gun to be shot with great accuracy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a shooting rest with an inclined rail that supports a rest at a selected position along a length of the rail.

The invention in form is directed to a shooting rest including a pod arrangement and a rail assembly. The pod arrangement can be a monopod, bipod or tripod. The rail assembly is connected to the pod arrangement. The rail assembly includes a rail, a shuttle and a rest. The rail has an end which is connected to the pod arrangement. The shuttle is slidably mounted to the rail and includes a latch for selectively securing the shuttle at a desired location along a length of the rail. The rest is connected to the shuttle.

The invention in another form is directed to a rail assembly for use as a shooting rest. The rail assembly includes a rail, a shuttle and a rest. The shuttle is slidably mounted to the rail. The shuttle includes a latch for selectively securing the shuttle at a desired location along a length of the rail. The rest is connected to the shuttle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a shooting rest of the present invention, including an embodiment of a rail assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view of the rail assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side view of the rail forming part of the rail assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the rail shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the shuttle forming part of the rail assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the shuttle shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of another embodiment of a rail assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the shuttle forming part of the rail assembly shown in FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the rail assembly shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a shooting rest 10 which generally includes a pod arrangement 12 and a rail assembly 14. The pod arrangement 12 can be of conventional design, such as a monopod, bipod or tripod. In the illustrated embodiment, pod arrangement 12 is configured as a bipod.

Rail assembly 14 is connected to pod arrangement 12, and includes a rail 16, a shuttle 18 and a rest 20. Rail 16 has an end 22 which is connected to pod arrangement 12. In the illustrated embodiment, a sling stud 23 (typically used to mount a shoulder sling to a rifle) is attached to end 22 of rail 16. The bipod 12, in known manner, includes an attachment mechanism which attaches directly to sling stud 23.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-6, rail 16 has a generally T-shaped cross section; however, the specific cross-section of rail 16 can vary, depending on the application. Moreover, the length of rail 16 also can vary depending on the length of the attached bipod, etc.

Shuttle 18 is slidably mounted to rail 16 and is selectively positioned at a desired location along a length of rail 16. More particularly, shuttle 18 includes a generally T- shaped opening 24 which is sized and shaped to receive rail 16 therein. The particular cross-sectional shape of opening 24 can vary, depending on the cross-sectional shape of rail 16. For example, opening 24 can have a square or rectangular cross-section. Moreover, in the illustrated embodiment, opening 24 opens to one side of shuttle 18. However, opening 24 can also be entirely surrounded by shuttle 18, open only at the ends.

Shuttle 18 includes a latch 26 for selectively securing shuttle 18 at a desired location along a length rail 16. In the illustrated embodiment, latch 26 includes a threaded hole 28 formed in shuttle 18, and a thumb screw 30 which is threaded into hole 28.

Rest 20 is detachably connected to shuttle 18, and provides a steady rest for a firearm. Rest 20 includes a cradle 32 and a pin 34 extending from cradle 32. Cradle 32 preferably has an inner surface which is padded to prevent movement or damage to the firearm. Pin 34 is sized to fit within a corresponding hole 36 formed in shuttle 18. Shuttle 18 also includes an abutment surface 38 which is positioned at a predetermined angle 0 relative to a longitudinal axis 39 of shuttle 18. The angle θ of abutment surface 38, in combination with the circular profile of cradle 32, allows a firearm to be effectively cradled for a wide range of operating positions of shooting rest 10.

Shooting rest 10 may also optionally include one or more extension rods 40, as shown in FIG. 1. Extension rods 40 allow the shooting height of shooting rest 10 to be increased by moving the mounting height of cradle 32 upward, depending on the shooting position of the shooter. The extension rods 40 can each be of the same length, or a different length (as shown), depending on the desired shooting height. Each extension rod 40 includes threads 42 at one end and a mating threaded opening 44 at an opposite end. The extension rods 40 can be screwed together in any desired combination, with the threads 42 of the bottom rod extending into hole 36 of shuttle 18, and the threaded opening 44 in the top rod receiving the pin 34 of cradle 32 therein.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-9, there is shown another embodiment of a rail assembly 50 of the present invention which includes a shuttle 52 slidably mounted on a picatinny rail 54. A Picatinny rail, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail or tactical rail, is a slotted rail used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform for accessories and attachments. Picatinny rails and accessories have replaced iron sights in the design of many firearms, and they are also incorporated into the undersides of semi-automatic pistol frames and even on grips. The Picatinny locking slot width is 0.206 in (5.23 mm). The spacing of slot centers is 0.394 in (10.01 mm) and the slot depth is 0.118 in (3.00 mm).

Picatinny rail 54 includes a plurality of alternating lands 56 and grooves 58. Shuttle 52 includes a latch 60 which engages a selected groove 58 for securing shuttle 52 to picatinny rail 54. Latch 60 is in the form of a spring-loaded pushbutton latch which is biased against a finger 62, which in turn is pivotally mounted within an opening 64 formed in shuttle 52. Finger 62 has a distal end with an angled or curved edge 66 and a sharp edge 68. The angle or radius of curvature of curved end 66 allows shuttle 52 to be slid in one direction along piccatinny rail 54 without depressing latch 60, while the sharp edge 68 requires the latch 60 to be depressed prior to movement of shuttle 52 in the opposite direction along piccatinny rail 54. Finger 62 pivots about pivot pin 70, and a spring 72 biases finger 62 to the position shown in FIG. 9.

In the embodiments described above, rail assemblies 14 and 50 are described with reference to use as a firearm shooting rest. However, it is to be understood that the rail assemblies 14 and 50 of the present invention can be used with other equipment requiring fast and accurate target acquisition (whether actually shooting a firearm or not). For example, it is possible that a rail assembly 14 or 50 can form one leg of a bipod or tripod arrangement and the shuttle is directly attached to the forestock or barrel of the rifle. Moreover, it is possible to use a different type of rest which is either attached to or supports a different type of equipment requiring fast and accurate target acquisition. Examples include optical equipment (e.g., spotting scopes or binoculars), a photography camera, and/or a video camera. Further, such other equipment can be directly attached to the shuttle sliding along the rail.

While this invention has been described with respect to at least one embodiment, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A shooting rest, comprising: a pod arrangement; and a rail assembly connected to said pod arrangement, said rail assembly including a rail, a shuttle and a rest, said rail having an end which is connected to said pod arrangement, said shuttle being slidably mounted to said rail and including a latch for selectively securing said shuttle at a desired location along a length of said rail, said rest being connected to said shuttle.
 2. The shooting rest of claim 1, wherein said rail has a generally T-shaped cross section and said shuttle has a generally T-shaped opening in which the rail is slidably disposed.
 3. The shooting rest of claim 2, wherein said shuttle has a threaded hole and said latch comprises a thumb screw which is received in said threaded hole.
 4. The shooting rest of claim 1, wherein said rail comprises a picatinny rail with a plurality of alternating lands and grooves, and said latch engages a selected groove for securing said shuttle to said picatinny rail.
 5. The shooting rest of claim 1, wherein said rest is a cradle.
 6. The shooting rest of claim 1, wherein said rest is detachably connected to said shuttle.
 7. The shooting rest of claim 6, further including at least one extension rod interconnecting said shuttle with said rest.
 8. The shooting rest of claim 7, wherein said at least one extension rod comprises a plurality of extension rods which are threaded together with a bottom extension rod being threaded to said shuttle.
 9. The shooting rest of claim 1, wherein said pod arrangement comprises a monopod, a bipod or a tripod.
 10. The shooting rest of claim 1, wherein said shooting rest is configured for use with at least one of a firearm, optical equipment, a photography camera and a video camera.
 11. A rail assembly for use as part of a shooting rest, said rail assembly comprising: a rail; a shuttle which is slidably mounted to said rail, said shuttle including a latch for selectively securing said shuttle at a desired location along a length of said rail; and a rest connected to said shuttle.
 12. The shooting rest of claim 11, wherein said rail has a generally T-shaped cross section and said shuttle has a generally T-shaped opening in which the rail is slidably disposed.
 13. The rail assembly of claim 12, wherein said shuttle has a threaded hole and said latch comprises a thumb screw which is received in said threaded hole.
 14. The rail assembly of claim 11, wherein said rail comprises a picatinny rail with a plurality of alternating lands and grooves, and said latch engages a selected groove for securing said shuttle to said picatinny rail.
 15. The rail assembly of claim 11, wherein said rest is a cradle.
 16. The rail assembly of claim 11, wherein said rest is detachably connected to said shuttle.
 17. The rail assembly of claim 16, further including at least one extension rod interconnecting said shuttle with said rest.
 18. The rail assembly of claim 17, wherein said at least one extension rod comprises a plurality of extension rods which are threaded together with a bottom extension rod being threaded to said shuttle.
 19. The rail assembly of claim 11, wherein said shooting rest is configured for use with at least one of a firearm, optical equipment, a photography camera and a video camera.
 20. A rail assembly for use as part of a shooting rest, said rail assembly comprising: a rail; and a shuttle which is slidably mounted to said rail, said shuttle including a latch for selectively securing said shuttle at a desired location along a length of said rail, said shuttle being configured for attachment with one of: a shooting rest; a firearm; optical equipment; a photography camera; and a video camera. 